Kansas City’s annual comic convention Planet Comicon drew record numbers of pop culture enthusiasts to Bartle Hall this year, featuring costumed attendees, interesting panels, comic creators and artists.
Kansas City’s annual pop culture haven Planet Comicon took place March 14-16, attracting a larger crowd in its second outing at Bartle Hall.
“As a cultural event, it’s changed quite a bit over the years,” “Dream Thief” writer and KU professor Jai Nitz said. “They expanded the convention in a way that brought in outside people. It’s basically like San Diego Comic-Con-lite, and that’s what’s coming to Kansas City now, and people respond to it immediately, they love it.
“As a creator I get a chance to meet fans directly. Now, a lot of the times it’s just here at my table, where I meet somebody and I’m selling them a book, myself to them. At an event this large there’s panels and speeches, and I participate in those because then I’m reaching people who don’t normally read my comic books,” Nitz said.
“It’s freakin’ huge, I can’t believe it’s in Bartle Hall,” Cortana cosplayer Rose Watkins said. “Otherwise, it’s kinda just more of the same awesome stuff, just a bunch of really cool people getting together and doing really cool stuff.”
“A lot of nerds,” fellow cosplayer Steven McClain laughed.
Many attendees spend lots of time and effort building their own costumes for the event.
“This one probably took over 300 hours,” McClain said, describing his “Halo” Spartan outfit.
“Mine took all day today to do, so approximately six hours,” Watkins said of her Cortana body paint.
The event also introduces new readers to comic books.
“Well, it’s all become regular people now, it’s not just comic people,” Elite Comics owner William Bindera said. “It’s just a common everyday hobby, but for a lot of people it’s their, like all my people who come into the shop, it’s their weekly religion.”
“It’s an event now,” Bindera said. “Trying to give people an experience.”
For Kansas City Film, this is Alex Lamb.
Alex Lamb Movie Man 